Quinoa Tabouli

When I found out, early on in my gluten free days, that the Tabouli recipe I’d been making for years wasn’t gluten free, I wept. Big crocodile tears. No more bulghur for this gluten free diva. And then I discovered quinoa and seismic changes were made in my gluten free world. I’m talking LOVE. And for more than one reason.

It’s a no brainer. Sub quinoa for bulghur and voila, Quinoa Tabouli.

On a flexibility scale, quinoa gets a 10 when you use it to make Quinoa Tabouli. You can dress it up or down, adding different vegetables to the final mix, depending on what you have in the frig. Though don’t imagine that you can use that gnarly looking scallion you found hiding under a bag of carrots in your frig. Scallions are key and they’ve gotta be fresh and perky.

Quinoa is gluten free. Bingo. Say no more. And WAY full of protein.

Quinoa comes int three different colors. Red. Black. Regular ol’ beige. Can you even believe it?

Quinoa is ridiculously easy and quick to cook. You can microwave it, cook it on the stovetop, or throw it into a rice cooker (don’t blink, it cooks really fast, not kidding).

When the temperature doesn’t climb much out of the single digits and I need to wrack my brain to remember what summer feels like, Quinoa Tabouli comes to the rescue. Nothing brings me back to the dog days of our New England summers more quickly than this gluten free gift to my repertoire of summer recipes.

Just when you thought you couldn’t fit yet one more gluten free flour into your pantry, guess what? Yes, quinoa can be ground into flour. I know what you’re thinking. Where the heck am I going to store all of these gluten free flours? When my eldest daughter graduated from college, she wanted to leave her dorm frig behind. No way. I knew it would be perfect for my stash of gluten free flours. Call me a thief if you must.
One more thing. Before I continue, I’d like to announce the winner of my recent contest for a copy of Gluten Free Girl’s new cookbook called Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. I picked the winner using random.org. Jessica from Confessions of a Gluten Free Mom is the winner! Congratulations Jessica! And thank you so much to all the others who commented and added their voice to my blog. If you haven’t yet read Gluten Free Girl and the Chef, I can’t recommend it highly enough. The recipes are terrific, the pictures are gorgeous, and the stories told by both of the authors are sweet and heartwarming.
Let me continue. I have a recipe to get to!
Quinoa flour is great for baking. I’m not particularly fond of baking with solely quinoa flour, but it makes a nice complement to other flours and adds a whole slew of good nutrition to whatever you’re baking. Check out my Gluten Free Double Chocolate Espresso Biscotti. And whenever I start my day with my Gluten Free Hearty Four Grain breakfast cereal, I feel like a million bucks.
Quinoa Tabouliclick here for recipe
6 – 8 servings
1 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained (don’t skip this step – quinoa has a bitter coating called saponin which can be rinsed off)
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. chopped fresh mint
1/2 c. quartered grape tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
Cook the quinoa per the package. Chill thoroughly.
Add scallions, parsley, mint, and tomatoes to the quinoa. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic until blended. Add to quinoa and veggies and mix until thoroughly combined. Chill before serving.
This is great as a main dish with a few gluten free crackers. It also works wonderfully as a component of a sandwich made on a Gluten Free Flatbread. I’d add, hmmm, hummus and baby spinach leaves to round it off. Got any other ideas? Let me know in the comments section below this post.
Hey, speaking of Gluten Free Flatbread, over the last few years, I’ve developed a number of different recipes for it. I’m wondering if you would like a recipe for my newest flatbread recipe? I made it this morning for a gathering of friends who we spent the afternoon singing with. I cut the flatbread into four pieces and then sliced them further into little finger-sized pieces. Perfect as a hummus delivery system. I’ll be posting the recipe in the next few days. Or better yet, if you subscribe to my blog (go up to the top right sidebar above and add your email address), every time I post a new recipe, you’ll receive it in your inbox. It’s that simple. And that way, we can stay connected!

Yum – I love quinoa tabouli. And I can’t wait for the flatbread recipe

Gluten Free Diva

I plan to post the recipe in the next few days, with some more pictures. It folds like nobody's business and thus makes a GREAT sandwich! And you can add lots of toppings to it!

Jessie

Yummy! That looks delicious, and super healthy! I've heard great things about the power of quinoa… an ancient South American grain. Can't wait to try this!

Gluten Free Diva

You are totally on the money Jessie. It's full of all good things and a cinch to make! Come home and I'll make it for you:).

http://www.cookitallergyfree.com/blog Cook It Allergy Free

That tabouli looks amazing! That picture is beautiful! And so is that flatbread, by the way! I am part Lebanese and tabouli was a staple in our diet growing up – my grandma would make it at least once a week! I love making it with quinoa now for my own family. Your recipe looks fabulous! 😉

http://tooblessed4myowngood.blogspot.com Candy

Gorgeous tabouli! Can't wait for the flatbread recipe. My biggest "miss" is Israeli couscous. Somebody needs to recreate that in GF form. Until then, I'll play with quinoa.

http://www.bookofyum.com sea

Sounds great! We eat a lot of quinoa in our house these days. Somehow I haven't tried a quinoa tabbouleh yet, can you believe it? The flatbread looks yummy too!

I used to make tabouli weekly in the pre-gf days. While I have a zillion quinoa recipes I've never tried quinoa in my old tabouli recipe. I think I'll start with yours though!

http://www.alisacooks.com Alisa Fleming

Ellen I love that quinoa close-up! I've always been enthralled with how quinoa looks when cooked, the little ringlets and grains. So interesting.

I have to admit, I loved quinoa for years (tried it first in South America almost ten years ago!), but the past year or so I'm not as hot on it. Not sure what changed. I do need to try quinoa flour though, as I hear it is great in baking as you say.

http://www.visualsuperglue.com matt gordon

love the pic and recipe. this will pass my 2 year old palate i am sure. those little ones are picky

Have you tried sprouting the quinoa? (i.e. no cooking just soaking) It gives it a little bit more texture and flavor for the tabouli. I sprout mine in the summer. My family thought I was crazy until I served it at tabouli for dinner that night. They were licking the bowl!

http://rawkansas.blogspot.com Johanna B

I love quinoa. It's my favorite grain. I use it as a substitute for couscous in recipes but never thought of doing tabouli. It looks great. Can't wait to try it.

http://celiacsinthehouse.blogspot.com Wendy

It looks like summer over here at the GF Diva's. I could use a blast of summer flavor. I've been playing around with flatbread, too. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

http://thenondairyqueen.blogspot.com/ Sarena

I love using quinoa for bulgar wheat! I love quinoa as a sweet dish too instead of oats. Yours looks delicious!

http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/blog/ glutenfreeforgood

I'm a big quinoa fan and love it both hot and cold. I never think about using mint in a recipe and you've inspired me to keep that in mind. The combination of mint, scallions, parsley and tomatoes would work in so many recipes. That's a lovely sounding mixture. You made me laugh with the curly-tail thing on the quinoa. You're right, it's a little weird. =)
Great recipe. Thank you. And I love your new little blogger-diva badge. It's as cute as you are!
Melissa

http://www.simplygluten-free.com Simply Gluten Free

You and I must be on the same page – I just made some quinoa Tabouli the other day – loved it! And yes please, looking forward to that flatbread recipe!

http://www.gluten-free-connect.com Paul

We love quinoa too, red is my personal favorite and even our 9-month old seems to enjoy it too … by the way the tabouli picture is amazing, how delicious does that look!

I had a yummy quinoa salad today that made me think I could do a quinoa tabouli, which led me here. As for the little tails, if you put the cooked quinoa into cheesecloth and then rinse it off to get the last of the saponin off (saponin is a natural laxative) you can remove most of the tails.

Gluten Free Diva

Great tip re: the tails, though they are kinda cute?:) And as for the natural laxative, I didn't know that either – very interesting and I think noteworthy!!!

Thanks for sharing my Quinoa Tabouli recipe. It’s such a cinch to make, isn’t it? And so delicious! I love it just plain, on its’ own. Just delish!

lindah

I was looking for the recipe to make tabolbuli since i just bought the quinoa, then i ran across the caloric content, wow, can or should i be eating this much calories since i’m overweght

Dawn

Love love love this recipe. It’s become a staple in our house since we became gluten free. Usually we eat it on a warmed corn tortillas spread with hummus! Kinda like a Tabouli Taco!! Great for lunch or a snack! THX

http://Www.lyngatefarm.com Chris

So excited to have found you. Trying a wheat-free diet for a while !

Ellen

Hi Chris – how are you doing with wheat-free? There are SO many possibilities for healthy wheat-free (and gluten free) recipes. You’re on the path to good health my friend!

"When you're interested, you do what is convenient. When you're committed, you do whatever it takes." Stacey Morgenstern

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